Monday May 20, 2013
After watching a movie in our friends' home theater over the weekend, I truly think that if I had that setup, there would be no reason to go to the movie theater. I can buy a 3D Blu-ray for much, much cheaper than the cost of taking our family to the movies, and my theater snacks would be healthier, more fun, and way less expensive. Plus, my theater would be filled with good friends and family. We don't need anything bigger than a 110" screen. Really.
It's not that I think the day is coming when most families will have luxurious home theaters of their own, making movie theaters obsolete. Having a separate room dedicated just to movie watching and the expense of buying the equipment simply isn't realistic for many families. However, as technology becomes cheaper and time goes by, a lot of people will have some type of home theater, or at least friends who have one. The dwindling numbers at movie theaters over the years could mean that movie theaters will become fewer in number, or they will have to adapt.
Which makes me wonder, what will movie theaters be like in the future? Will they try to go 4D or add some other component to the theater experience that can't be replicated at home? The 4D component was attempted recently with the movie Spy Kids 4. Fail. Even kids didn't love the scratch n' sniff card, mostly because the smells were indistinguishable from each other and having to watch for the cues in the movie was distracting. Or, maybe movie theaters will become more like those simulation rides at fairs and amusement parks, with seats shaking and the floor moving up and down. A lot of people don't like that kind of gimmicky stuff, though, so maybe they would just all become more like IMAX theaters with a bigger, more immersive experience.
We have a decent home theater system, though not a dedicated media room, and we do go out to movies less since we got a nicer TV. I have a feeling that if we do get a media room, my kids would use it just as much as a stage to perform their "shows" they love to put on as they would to watch movies or play video games. Yep, if my husband ever gets his wish for a decked out media room, my requirement will be that it has a proper stage, and we'll probably spend a lot of time watching the performances of three little girls who love to sing, dance and act. And were it not for my job, we would also spend a lot less time at movie theaters.
Monday May 13, 2013
Carolyn Danckaert, co-founder of A Mighty Girl, a girl empowerment website that features the world's largest collection of books, toys, movies, and clothing for smart, confident, and courageous girls, launched a petition on Change.org just three days ago, and over 15,000 (and climbing) have signed on so far. The petition has to do with Disney's latest Princess addition, Merida from Brave. Apparently, Merida's foray into the princess collection line has involved a few changes to her look and style for some products. You can view Merida's new look on Change.org. Here is what Carolyn has to say:
"Merida inspired countless young girls by showing them that they too could go off on adventures and save the day; that it's not about how you looked that matters but what kind of person you are. With Merida, girls finally had a princess role model that looked like a real girl, complete with the 'imperfections' that made her such a unique and appealing character. By redesigning her to fit the mold of the Disney Princess line and making her skinnier, sexier and more mature in her appearance, Disney is sending the message that for girls and women to have value -- to be recognized as true princesses -- they must conform to this narrow definition of beauty. With our petition, we're calling on Disney to return to the original Merida that we all know and love and to keep Merida Brave!"
So, after reading the petition I hopped on over to the Disney Store online to see if I could find instances of the new Merida. The website was slow for me today for some reason, but after painstakingly searching around for a few minutes under the categories of "Merida" and "Princesses," I wasn't able to find anything resembling the "new" Merida. A couple of dolls and a t-shirt had a Merida that looked slightly more mature and alluring than the traditional images, but not like in the picture on Change.org.
I did find a few clothing items with all the princesses except Merida, and let me just say, I don't know how they will possibly fit one more princess on those close to begin with! They'll have to be so small you won't be able to see Merida's clothing anyway. I don't know exactly how often this new Merida will be featured in the Disney Princess Collection line. Already there are many versions of Merida and other princesses in the doll, toy and clothing lines. I hope there will not be too many that feature the off-the-shoulder dress and super skinnified waist version of Merida.
I have three little girls who love Merida. We have some Merida merchandise. I bought the bow and arrow, which was a huge success and I loved watching the girls get so excited about Archery. We had a Merida birthday party for my youngest, so I also got her a fancy nightgown and a Merida doll. I wouldn't buy a product with the Merida as designed in the photo on Change.org. And as long as there are traditional Merida products available, I probably wouldn't have been moved to start a petition or anything about the new look for some products.
But, I'm glad there are watchdogs for this sort of thing. Sometimes corporations need a reminder that a lot of us moms care about how our daughter's view themselves in relationship to these role models they are putting forth through their movies and immense marketing machines and the messages the characters are sending through their actions and their attire. So if you feel like this is an important issue to you and your family, head on over and sign the petition. The biggest benefit I see in this petition is that it encourages Disney to think twice about how they design characters in all the iterations, and reminds them that we love Merida because of the strong and empowered character she is.
Follow Kids TV & Movies - Twitter | Facebook | StumbleUpon
(Photo © Disney)
Tuesday April 30, 2013
From above the world of Cars, comes an all new adventure called Planes. Sure to excite kids (I mean, have you heard the rockin' music in the trailers?), Disney/Pixar's upcoming planes movie takes the beloved anthropomorphic autos and adds another thing kids love, airplanes, in a new adventure filled with new characters and diverse personalities.
I say new characters, and that's true, but some of them seem to have a little bit in common with the characters in the first Cars movie. For example, there's a young plane with big dreams of racing, and an old timer who's been hiding from his past ever since his glory days were prematurely cut short. Read about more of the Planes characters and see what you think. I was most surprised by the intense supernatural meaning behind the name of the air racer from Mexico. It will be interesting to see if his name has any bearing on his character in the movie.
And while we're waiting for the movie to come out (August 9, 2013), it might be fun to re-watch the Cars movies, or introduce your kids to the characters if they haven't seen them yet. I think the new Planes movie will feel very similar to Cars, but it will be interesting to see if Disney/Pixar can pull off a whole new adventure that is as unique and fresh as the original.
More on Cars and Cars 2:
Follow Kids TV & Movies - Twitter | Facebook | StumbleUpon
(Photo © Disney)
Monday April 22, 2013
"I'm sorta like a pollinator...just like the pollinators are sort of seduced into pollinating flowers based on color, taste or smell. I think, in a way, that's what nature does to all of us. We're part of that pattern where, through color, taste, and beauty, we end up falling in love with things. And because we fall in love with them, we protect them. Just like you protect your children."
~ Louie Schwartzberg (Director/Cinematographer)
Disneynature did not release and Earth Day film in theaters this year (boo!), but they did release a direct to Blu-ray/DVD film called Wings of Life. Directed by Louie Schwartzberg, the family-friendly documentary presents stunning footage of hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, bats and more. The movie is narrated by Meryl Streep and told from the point of view of a flower.
Wings of Life is a great Earth Day film, and kids will learn a ton about the reproductive cycle of flowers and the intricate balance between pollinators, flowering plants and us. Read our review of Disneynature: Wings of Life to learn more about the film, including fun facts I learned from an interview with Louie. Also, as usual, Disney has gone above and beyond in creating amazing educational material for kids--click on the box below to download the colorful science pack. And, if you want to help your kids get some hands on experience, Louie suggests starting out with growing a tomato plant. Tomatoes are easy to grow, and kids will be able to see how a plant blossoms and the flowers then become food we eat.
Follow Kids TV & Movies - Twitter | Facebook | StumbleUpon
(Photo © Disney)
